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Homewares firm Dunelm to beat expectations as online division takes off and drives sales rise over Christmas
- Dunelm shares spiked 12% as investors cheered by quarterly trading update
- The retailer has modestly upgraded its half-year profit expectations to £70m
- Over the quarter to December 29, sales rose 9% with a 37.9% surge online
Homewares firm Dunelm has defied fears of a disastrous Christmas for the UK's retail industry with a bumper sales rise during the all-important Golden Quarter.
Shares in Dunelm spiked 12 per cent to £6.56 in early trading today after the retailer, best known for its cut-price bedding, towels and furniture, said it expects profits for the full year to come in at the top end of City expectations.
The Leicester-based firm's renewed confidence was triggered by a 9 per cent rise in sales over the last three months, which was spearheaded by a 37.9 per cent surge at its online division.
Leicester-based Dunelm is hailing a 9% sales rise over the three months to December 29
The group took a knock in its last financial year after it bought online company Worldstores and worked to integrate the businesses. But the move appears to be bearing fruit now with Dunelm benefiting from increased ecommerce capabilities.
Boss Nick Wilkinson, who replaced former Apple exec John Browett last year, said: 'Our multichannel proposition is improving all the time, and we are looking forward to introducing our new web platform in the summer, using more flexible technology which will allow us to better serve our customers in a changing retail landscape.'
Sales advanced at its 169 stores too - up 5.7 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Despite the strong performance, the company said it remains cautious due to the 'unprecedented level of uncertainty currently facing consumers and businesses in the UK' in the run up to Brexit.
Commenting on the results, AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said: 'Retail slump, what retail slump? Today's update from homewares seller Dunelm looks great.
'It is good to see Dunelm is not resting on its laurels with plans to launch a new, more flexible web platform this summer. In an unforgiving retail environment, delivering the best possible customer experience is crucial.'
The upside in Dunelm's shares today is due, IG analyst Joshua Mahony said, to the switch towards more positive news, and away from 'a trend of profit warnings and underperformance that saw the firm lose 50 per cent of its market value over the course of 2 and a half years.'
Dunelm's trading update comes at the start of what is expected to be an extremely busy week of retail results from the likes of Tesco, M&S and Debenhams.
Fashion giant Next was first out of the gate with its Christmas results last week, reassuring investors with a modest 1.5 per cent sales rise.
After a torrid 2018 on the High Street, which saw the collapse of chains including Toys R Us, Maplin and Poundworld, analysts expectations for retail firms are moderately low.
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House lawmakers released a scathing report on four of the world’s largest tech companies, accusing them of abusing their market power. The report, which was released on Tuesday and concludes a 15-month investigation into Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, recommended breaking up the companies and passing the most sweeping reforms to antitrust laws in decades.
Here is a summary of the accusations against each company in the report, which was endorsed only by Democratic lawmakers.
The company uses its market power as both the largest online retailer and the leading e-commerce marketplace to its advantage and to hobble potential competitors. Amazon sets the rules for digital commerce. About 2.3 million third-party sellers do business on the Amazon marketplace worldwide, the report said, and 37 percent of them rely on Amazon as their sole source of income — essentially making them hostage to Amazon’s shifting tactics.

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With a 4.3 % share of new registrations since the beginning of March, electric vehicles were able to gain ground in the EU5 markets despite the corona-related decline in total registrations of 65.3 %. This means an increase of 27.1 % compared to the same period last year. Dataforce expects a further rise in the market share of electric vehicles, driven by government incentives in all countries.
More environmentally friendly drives, less petrol and diesel
Corona has left a big gap in the automotive market. 65.3 % fewer new car registrations since March compared to the same period last year. Fossil fuels in particular have suffered the greatest losses. 67.1 % less petrol and 67.9 % less diesel engines have been registered since the beginning of the pandemic.
But even in the current difficult situation there are winners. In May, more purely electric vehicles were registered than in the same month last year: 14,335 new electric cars – an increase of 23.2 %. Thus, the share of new registrations of electric vehicles from March to May was 4.3 % – an increase of 3.2 percentage points compared to previous year.
Higher environmental bonuses in the EU5 countries
Increased and newly introduced government subsidies can be seen as one of the reasons for the growing demand for electric cars. In the UK, a further £532 million was released on 12 March 2020 as part of the Electric Car Grant to subsidise low-emission vehicles (£3,000 when purchasing an EV), and the Bonus-Malus System reformed on 1 January 2020 in France even provides for a €6,000 bonus when buying an EV.
An increase in the eco-bonus is also planned for Germany. Starting in July, up to €9,000 can be saved on the purchase of an electric vehicle through the so-called Innovationsprämie. Here, the tax cut at the beginning of the year from 0.5 % to 0.25 % of the list price for electric vehicles as company cars did not have a major effect. Only 13.2 % more EVs have been registered as company cars since the beginning of the year. This is probably due to the fact that the tax advantage only applies to vehicles without CO2 emissions and therefore does not affect the hybrids which are still more popular for fleets.
However, what influence do environmental bonuses actually have on the fuel type mix? A look at the past can shed light on the actual impact of government bonuses.
Environmental subsidies have a positive effect
The environmental bonus introduced in Germany in June 2016, which subsidised the purchase of an electric vehicle with up to €4,000, led to growth of 30.8 % in this segment in the following year. In the same period, registrations of electric vehicles in the other four countries rose by only 12.4 % on average.
The introduction of the bonus-malus system on 01 July 2018 in Sweden, which subsidises the purchase of an electric car with SEK 60,000 (around €5,700), led to an increase of 198 % in the following year. In the EU 5 markets the increase in the same period was only 51 %. In both countries there was thus a significant increase in the number of electric car registrations in the first year after the introduction of the subsidies.
The trend towards electric mobility seems unstoppable
Both manufacturers, who have to avoid penalties for high CO2 values and the governments of the countries, who are interested in economic growth and climate protection, are looking forward to seeing an increasing interest in electric vehicles.
And for consumers, the vehicles, which are now affordable thanks to governmental support, are becoming a real alternative. This paves the way for filling the gap left by Corona with environmentally friendly drives.


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Displaying items 13-23 of 23 » View southbendtribune.com items only< Previous 1 2
PepsiCo has signed a deal that allows employees and dependents across the nation to get certain surgeries at Johns Hopkins Hospital — a cutting-edge arrangement that could grow in popularity as companies look to provide better health care and...
Content ManagerThe U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Lowe's stores in Carlisle, Hanover and Palmyra for a total of 11 safety and health violations, 10 of those repeat, including exposing workers to chemical and electrical...
Home-improvement retailer Lowe's Cos. says it will close 20 underperforming stores in 15 states and cut 1,950 jobs in order to focus on more profitable locations. Here are the stores set to be closed: CALIFORNIA Los Banos Westminster COLORADO Denver...
Ending a six-month slump, Sears, Roebuck and Co. bounced back in October to handily beat Wall Street's estimates and boost its stock price by 5 percent. While Sears pleasantly surprised analysts Thursday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. fell short of expectations...
Tribune staff reporterWorried that home-improvement chains are stealing market share, Sears, Roebuck and Co. will expand the number of its appliance and electronics outlet stores over the next two years by nearly 70 percent. Calling it a quick and inexpensive way to plug...
Tags: Consumers, Marketing, Real Estate Buyers, California, Homes
Tribune staff reporterSales at Sears, Roebuck and Co.'s newest store format are 30 percent higher than expected, and even usual trouble spots such as clothing and home-and-bath departments are doing well, the retailer's top executive said Wednesday. Chief Executive Officer...
ReutersNEW YORK, NY -- Home improvement retailer Home Depot said it is hiring about 60,000 seasonal workers for a series of spring sales, a level that a spokeswoman said was comparable to last year's. Home Depot in December forecast a sales increase of...
Web ReporterScotts Miracle-Gro is reportedly exploring how to enter the medical marijuana market. Scotts Chief Executive Jim Hagedorn told The Wall Street Journal that the company is considering the move to help boost sales at the lawn and garden company perhaps...
Chicago TribuneMonday: -- Earnings: Campbell Soup Co.; Lowe's Cos.; Pacific Sunwear of California Inc.; Perry Ellis International Inc.; Saks Inc.; Westell Technologies Inc. Tuesday: -- Earnings: American Eagle Outfitters Inc.; Analog Devices Inc.; AutoZone Inc.; BJ's...
Tribune staff reporterNot all retailers are going to be rewarded equally this holiday shopping season. Investors in retailing stocks are increasingly concerned about which stores may suffer from lackluster sales and stock performance. For every expected winner likeAmerican...
Dec 11, 2011 |Story| Baltimore Sun
Oct 11, 2011 |Story| WPMT-LTV
Oct 17, 2011 |Story| Petoskey News
Nov 5, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Jun 24, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Jun 17, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Feb 15, 2011 |Story| Reuters
Jun 14, 2011 |Story| KCPQ-LTV
May 20, 2007 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Nov 18, 2007 |Story| Tribune Media Services
Nov 19, 2006 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Original site for Lowe's Companies Inc. topic gallery.


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A dress in dania has become a fashion icon in Italy after a model named Lotta Vazquez created the model and brand to raise money for the countrys AIDS crisis.
Vazquez said she began her career as a model at the age of 15.
She started with her first fashion collection at 15 and has since created dozens of collections.
The 19-year-old, who is the founder of Lotta Fashion, said the model of the future will be a female, but she still hopes to create something for men.
“I don’t think women are really in fashion.
We don’t wear dresses,” she said.
“But I want to show the female side of fashion and create a new female fashion, to make fashion a women’s thing.”
Vazuez said she was inspired to start her own clothing brand after meeting the model, who had previously worked with brands like Burberry and Valentino.
“She was a very talented young girl, she had a good work ethic, a good way of expressing herself,” she told Al Jazeera.
“I saw a girl that was doing something different, I knew I had to do something for women.”
The first model of Dania, who was born in the US and moved to Italy in 2013, is known for her striking silhouette, which features a simple lace bodice and plunging neckline.
Her clothes have become a favourite with fashion bloggers, celebrities and politicians alike.
Her signature dress, a white, blue, and pink ensemble, has become her most-watched piece in the Italian fashion world.
The brand is now also available for men, although it’s still selling clothes exclusively to women, which she said was a challenge because of the popularity of the clothes.
“There are people that can’t afford them because they’re too expensive,” she added.
The founder of the brand said she’s not interested in a career in the fashion industry, but wants to continue her work to raise awareness of the AIDS crisis in Italy.
“People who don’t have a fashion background don’t really have any idea about what is happening,” she explained.
“And so I hope that people can understand what is going on in the world.”


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Urge to connect is putting international travellers at risk: Kaspersky Lab
By Digital News Asia July 5, 2016
- Travellers often have no choice but to connect upon arrival
- But to save roaming charges, many use unsecured public WiFi
THE urge to go online the moment they reach foreign soil sees a high proportion of people connecting to unsecured WiFi networks, thus putting their personal data at risk, according to a study by Kaspersky Lab.
The research, which polled 11,850 people from across Europe, Russia, Latin America, Asia Pacific and the United States, found that cybercrime is commonplace when abroad.
However, as ever more essential travel information, from maps and hotel confirmations to check-in details and boarding passes, is stored online, international travellers often have no choice but to connect upon arrival, the company said in a statement.
Many will be keen to use WiFi rather than risk incurring roaming charges, despite the fact that doing so will expose them to risk, it added.
Upon leaving the airport, nearly half of us (44%) are already online, with most (69%) connecting in order to let family and loved ones know they have arrived safely and nearly four-in-10 (39%) saying they connect mainly to download travel information.
Pressure from work (38%) is also a strong factor, as is the desire to get up to speed on social media (34%); 34% state simply that it is instinctive to go online as soon as possible, according to Kaspersky Lab.
People are so used to being connected when they are at home, that when they are abroad, they hardly give a second thought to where they connect, how they connect, or who might be ‘listening’ in, the company said.
82% of respondents connect to unsecured, free-to-use public access WiFi networks in airport terminals, hotels, cafes or restaurants. In addition, 50% forget their connected devices are crammed with highly personal and sensitive information because they use them for other things, such as taking pictures and using maps.
But away from home and trusted networks, the lack of regard for network security plays into the hands of cybercriminals, Kaspersky Lab said – 18% of these travellers have been a victim of cybercrime while away from home, compared to 6% of those who have faced real-life crime.
This is not surprising if you consider the fact that our digital habits barely change while we’re abroad, even though we may be more exposed to unsecure public networks. Around half of the survey’s respondents say they bank (61%) and shop (55%) online over WiFi while abroad.
Vulnerability is also increased through the things we do more of online while abroad. For example, 13% are more likely to post on social networks when abroad and 14% say they shop online more using their credit card.
“I travel a lot. My business schedule is all about meetings, conferences and negotiations right around the globe. More than 100 flights a year is the norm for me,” said Kaspersky Lab chairman and chief executive officer Eugene Kaspersky (pic).
“And of course I use various public WiFi networks to access the Internet all the time. The first thing I do after connecting to the Net is connect to a VPN or virtual private network (in my case, the Kaspersky Lab VPN), and that is pretty much the best precaution I’d recommend anyone.
“That and of course, keeping all your software, including your security suite, up-to-date and not trusting anyone on the Internet,” he added.
Beware wearables and IoT: Kaspersky on security risks
How to secure your WiFi network
Millennials not as security-savvy as baby boomers: Survey
For more technology news and the latest updates, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Like us on Facebook.


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Latest Walmart Black Friday News
A wild time at Walmart as fights break out during Black Friday sales
Examiner, 30-Nov-13 08:01 AM Mountain
Friday, numerous fights broke out around the country during Black Friday sales at Walmart stores creating a wild time; in North Carolina a fight broke out at a Walmart over a TV and one customer caught it all on video. Walmart security guards are caught on ...
Walmart hit with widening protests on Black Friday
Denver Post, 29-Nov-13 10:57 PM Mountain
Hundreds of people gathered at the Lakeside Walmart on Friday morning, not to find bargains but to protest what they called low wages and poor working conditions at the nation's largest retailer. "When Walmart pushes down wages, it pushes down wages across ...
Walmart's Best Black Friday Deals 2013
The Huffington Post, 27-Nov-13 07:36 AM Mountain
Last week we suggested there might be more guaranteed doorbusters this year, and we're pleased to announce that our prediction has come true. During Black Friday 2012, Walmart guaranteed three different deals for shoppers who showed up at the proper time ...
Walmart's Black Friday, Thanksgiving Plans Try to Control Crowds: Will They Work?
ABC News, 19-Nov-13 04:56 PM Mountain
Walmart is stepping up the number of sale items on its website and revising its system that guarantees availability of certain hot-ticket items over Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday to control crowds during the busiest shopping season of the year.
Black Friday Strike Coming to a Walmart Near You
Guardian LV, 18-Nov-13 10:05 PM Mountain
With Black Friday just around the corner, Walmart workers have already started the groundwork for yet another strike at a Walmart near you. November 29 is this years Black Friday and store associates have planned another day of disruption and stoppages for ...
Walmart Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals
ZDNet, 12-Nov-13 10:38 AM Mountain
Now the big guns are finally being unleashed for Black Friday ad leaks. After Target's ad surfaced online, Walmart has rolled its specials out (as has Best Buy, which will be covered in a subsequent post), and while it doesn't have a ton of computer deals ...
Walmart Black Friday 2013 deals for TVs and more
Consumer Reports, 11-Nov-13 04:59 PM Mountain
If you don't have a problem shopping on Thanksgiving to get a jump on Black Friday sales, Walmart is trying to make it worthwhile: Among its deals is a 32-inch LCD TV for just $98. But if that's not enough to get you up off your couch, Walmart will also be ...
Walmart moves "Black Friday" earlier on Thanksgiving
Walmart Black Friday on the Web
Walmart Black Friday 2013 - Walmart Black Friday Deals, Ads & Sales
Complete Coverage of Walmart Black Friday 2013 Ad & Walmart Black Friday deals info.
Walmart Black Friday 2012. Black Friday Deals at Walmart.
Walmart Black Friday Deals. Find Black Friday deals at Walmart Black Friday 2012.
Walmart Black Friday 2013 Sales and Ads
Walmart Black Friday 2013 Sales and Ads. Deals, specials, hours, and sales for Black Friday Walmart at blackfriday.fm!
Walmart Black Friday Ad 2012 - Walmart Online Shopping Deals
Looking for the Walmart Black Friday Ad? Check here for the ad or sign up to be notified as soon as the 2012 Black Friday ad for Walmart becomes available.
Walmart Black Friday Flyer and Ad Scan 2013
Walmart Black Friday Flyer and Ad Scan 2013. Updated Ad Scans, Deals and Special Sales listings for Black Friday Walmart!


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Xolo, the Indian smart devices brand has launched a new smartphone namely Xolo One HD at a best-budget price of Rs. 4777 in India. The device is now available for purchase exclusively via the giant E-commerce portal, Amazon India. The domestic smartphone makers had confirmed via a Facebook post that the registrations for the new Xolo One HD will commence in the next three days. However, the company has not yet revealed when the device will go on sale in India. The domestic company has launched a new smartphone called Xolo 8X-1000i in India at an affordable price of Rs. 6999 which is available on Snapdeal.
The new Xolo One HD smartphone sports a 5-inch HD display with a pixel resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The display is regarded as the highlight of the handset at this price point. The device measures 143 x 72.6 x 9.5mm. The device is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor which is coupled with 1GB of RAM. On the storage front, the device includes an internal storage of 8GB which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. It is a dual-SIM smartphone that runs the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system.
On the camera front, the device comes equipped with an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1.4-micron pixel size and LED flash. On the other side, the smartphone comes with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera on board with LED flash. In terms of connectivity, the device includes GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Micro-USB. The Xolo One HD will be exclusively available in a White colour variant. The device is power-packed by a 2300mAh battery.
Earlier this month, the company has launched a new variant of its Black smartphone with an additional memory, priced at Rs. 11,999. The original Xolo Black that launched back in July came with just 2GB of RAM. The all-new 3GB LPDDR3 RAM variant of the Xolo Black went up for registrations exclusively via Snapdeal and will be available in a flash sale model starting Tuesday.


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Get the latest on US tech giant Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, and how big tech is teaming up with the US government to track its citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic here on RT. Keep up with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Twitter here on RT. Discover more with RT as US President Donald Trump asks trillion-dollar tech firm Apple’s CEO Tim Cook to work on US 5G networks, in a move to block Chinese tech giants’ influence. Dig deeper with RT on trillion-dollar tech giant Apple’s struggle between privacy and the US government. Read more on US President Donald Trump as he took to Twitter to question Apple CEO Tim Cook’s design of the new Apple iPhone. Check out more on how trillion-dollar tech giant Apple’s shares dropped after an iPhone designer quit. Keep up with the latest stories on Apple CEO Tim Cook and other tech giants such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos here on RT. Check out RT for all the latest info on big tech, spying and surveillance. Read experts' opinions on Tim Cook news on RT.
Tech giant Apple has closed all its retail stores world wide, except those in Greater China, for the next two weeks, in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Apple is trying to uphold its pro-privacy reputation even as the US government demands it unlock yet another shooter’s phone. But with so much data in government hands already, are any principles left under its virtue-signaling?
US President Donald Trump wants Apple CEO Tim Cook to “get involved” in developing 5G across the US in an apparent bid by Washington to push against the “threat” of Chinese tech giants.
US President Donald Trump said that his administration was considering whether to exempt Apple from tariffs imposed on China in an ongoing trade spat.
Donald Trump has issued another one of his (in)famous Twitter edicts, this time providing some customer feedback to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Apparently, the president is not a fan of newer iPhone models.
Beijing is angry at Apple for allowing a police-tracking map used by Hong Kong protesters in its App Store. Pressure grows on US companies doing business in China to take a side, as virtue-signaling clashes with serving customers.
Apple’s new Mac Pro computer, the company’s last major device to be produced in the US, will now apparently be manufactured in China. The move comes as Washington and Beijing prepare to resolve an ongoing trade dispute.
Jony Ive, the mind behind Apple’s most iconic product designs, is leaving the company to launch his own design firm, triggering a sell-off among investors who see the iPhone mastermind as key to the company’s identity.
An Apple exec is defending the high cost of privacy after a passive-aggressive jab from Google over turning what was once a fundamental civil right into a 'luxury good' – but look who's talking. Pot, meet kettle. Who's blacker?


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Well, it's now August 2023, and BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) shares continue to get cheaper and cheaper. This is an All Ords share that was going for $1.11 a share a year ago, and 75 cents each at the start of this year.
Yet today, BrainChip is sitting at just 37 cents a share, down more than 50% in 2023 alone, and down 66.67% from this time last year. Just take a look below for some visual context:
With a decline in value as pronounced as BrainChip shares have experienced over the past few months and year, many investors might be wondering if this company is finally in the buy zone today. So let's discuss that proposition.
Back in April, we discussed this very same question. Back then, BrainChip shares were trading around a similar valuation to what they are today. But at the time, I argued that Braichip's second-half revenues for 2022 of US$250,000 were well below what I would expect for a company with a ~$650 million market capitalisation.
As such, I came to a position where I would not touch Branchip shares until at least the company drastically improved that metric, amongst others.
I was also not encouraged by the large number of sell transactions that were being conducted by BrainChip's management. If management is selling their shares in high volumes, it is difficult to make a case for investors to be buying off them.
So what's changed since then?
Are BrainChip shares finally a buy in August 2023?
Well, not enough. BrainChip recently released its latest quarterly cash flow update, covering the three months to 30 June 2023. Things did improve slightly here. The company announced a cash balance of US$21.8 million as of 30 June, up from US$17.7 million in the prior quarter.
Cash outflows also decreased, falling from $6.3 million to $4.1 million.
But those metrics alone aren't enough for me to justify a market capitalisation of $656 million. Let alone a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of over 18. That means that BrainChip is currently trading at 18 times the total value of the company's assets.
Further, Brainchip seems to be having some difficulties with its new Akida 2.0 platform. As my Fool colleague Mitchell covered last month, "uncertainty around the company's next iteration could be to blame for the demolition of the BrainChip share price in June".
It's probably for these reasons that BrainChip shares are now amongst the most short-sold on the ASX. If I had to choose, I would probably rather short BrainChip shares today than buy them. I'm no short seller though, so I'm just staying well clear of this ASX AI share for the foreseeable future.


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Dave Desimone put two boxes of 9 mm cartridges and another box of .357s on the counter of the gun department at Gander RV and Outdoors store in Cicero.
“I just didn’t have any,” he said about the purchase of a total of 150 rounds for his handguns. “I just figured it was better to have some boxes on hand in case of whatever.”
Desimone typified what store employees and managers and customers said at gun departments at several sporting good stores in Central and Western New York this week. There’s been an uptick in firearm and ammunition purchases in the wake of ever-developing news concerning the coronavirus.
“We’ve seen a spike the last few days in the purchase of ammunition, particularly for rounds for handguns (9 mm and .45 caliber) along with .22 caliber for long rifles, and 12 and 20-gauge shotgun shells – both slugs and shot,” said David Steinberg, manager of the sporting goods department at Ra-Lin in Syracuse.
“It’s been a strange week, with the coronavirus and the stock market. There seems to be no rhyme or reason behind what people are buying,” he said. There’s some panic out there, despite the fact there’s been no reports of violence, he added.
As for firearms, Steinberg said he has sold all his store’s short-barreled shotguns. “They’re easy to swing around, keep behind a door,” he said.
Two employees at the Cabela’s store in Cheektowaga in Erie County said the gun counter at their store around noon today had a long line of customers. The two said several ammunition shelves were noticeably empty as customers were buying up boxes of rounds – particularly 9 mm cartridges for handguns for self protection.
“We’re swamped. Last weekend we had $40,000 in ammunition sales alone,” one of the employees said.
Not everyone said the increase in gun sales was the result of the coronavirus scare. Others interviewed pointed to the fact that gun sales typically go up this time of year due to individuals getting their tax refunds and possibly this year because there’s a presidential election this fall and some are concerned about the loss of gun ownership rights.
Tim Evanchak, owner of Tim’s Guns in Elbridge, noted gun and ammunition sales at his store have been steadily rising since the beginning of the year, due largely to the healthy economy and that many people have more disposable income.
Desimone said there definitely is a tie to the coronavirus scare.
He said the table with 9 mm cartridges for sale was full Thursday. By noon the next day it was half empty. He added he bought the last box of .357 caliber cartridges on the shelf at Gander.
“People are buying up toilet paper, antiseptic sprays and lotions. You might as well buy a couple of boxes of ammo,” he said.


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On June 25th Vitae was sponsor of the after party of the swimwear brand, Guillermina Baeza, which this year opened the well-known 080 Barcelona Fashion Week. A great experience that we want to sahre with you.
The event began with the show “Like a fish in water”, the amazing swimwear brand that stands out for its exclusive pieces made in an artisanal way. Then the acclaimed designer Guillermina Baeza presented her new collection inspired by art and sports focused on women. According to her own words, the woman Guillermina Baeza lives art and sports actively because they make her feel free.
All this took place in an exceptional environment, in the Club Patí Vela Barcelona, by the sea and the wonderful city in the background. The weather was amazing and we could enjoy it.
The party, which was held in the same place was a great success. Many familiar faces, exchanging conversation and good vibes, all this accompanied by a wonderful catering.
Here are some photos of the event of 080 Barcelona Fashion Week that Vitae sponsored
If you want more information about other events, news or any news about the Vitae laboratory, you can visit our News section, where we inform about everything related to the laboratory


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Singapore has become the most important trade partner of Hungary in South-East Asia (ASEAN countries) after the volume of trade between the two sides reached 528 million US dollars in 2015, a Foreign And Trade Ministry official told Hungarian news agency MTI via telephone on Wednesday.
Gyula Budai, the ministerial commissioner for measures related to the Russian embargo, is on official visit to Singapore in order to attend events such as the Food and Hotel Asia expo and the ProWine Asia wine expo. During his visit to the ASEAN country, Budai will hold talks with high-ranking state officials as well as local business leaders.
Gyula Budai noted that last year’s trade volume between Hungary and Singapore could increase significantly in spite of a 6-month-long importing ban that was imposed on Hungarian agricultural products due to the threat of avian influenza also known as bird flu. Hungarian food products reached 5 per cent of the whole Hungary-Singapore trade volume in 2015, 50% more than a year before, Buda added.


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Wholesaler United Natural Foods Inc. said it was nearing two important milestones—an extension of its supply contract for longtime customer Whole Foods Market and a new CEO to succeed the retiring Steve Spinner—but neither bit of clarity appeared to cure investor anxiety.
Reviewing financial results from its fiscal first quarter, Providence, R.I.-based UNFI said results for the period reflected continuing if moderating benefits of the food-at-home shift associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanied expanding EBITDA profit margins. However, sales and adjusted earnings per share figures fell short of analyst estimates, and the company reset some 2021 goals on higher spending anticipated to accommodate warehouse construction for a newly hatched supply agreement with Key Food Stores, a 300-store cooperative in New York.
Evidently fearful the benefits the wholesaler enjoyed in an extraordinary 2020 were winding down, investors largely abandoned UNFI stock, which was down by 15% following the newsy update. Its stock is up by about 85% year to date.
“With the strength we’ve shown during the last three quarters, the tremendous confidence we have in our company and our strong commitment to increasing shareholder value, it’s clear to us that the best days for UNFI lie ahead as we continue to build and optimize our DC network, expand our brands, win new business and migrate our business towards customer solutions and expand our fastest-growing segment, e-commerce,” Spinner said in a conference call reviewing results, according to a Sentieo transcript. “We believe the momentum from fiscal 2020 will continue as we grow sales and adjusted EBITDA in fiscal 2021 above and beyond our results from 2020, which were partially driven by COVID.”
For the quarter, which ended Oct. 31, sales grew 6% to $6.7 billion. The sales total reflected $3 billion in sales to chain stores (a 5% increase); $1.7 billion in sales to independent retailers (7.4%) and $1.2 billion in sales to Whole Foods Markets, which UNFI calls the “supernatural” channel and grew by 9.3%.
The fate of UNFI’s relationship with Amazon-owned Whole Foods—often seen as a way for traders to affordably “play” the high-profile retailer, and for a time, an outsized influence on UNFI—has long been a source of investor angst, but Spinner said the company expects early next year to announce an extension of their current supply contract, which is now set to expire in October 2025.
Spinner said the sides would normally have been in talks on an extension already but with each focused on COVID this year, that’s only happening now. “I have every expectation and they have every expectation that this is going to get done in the first part of next year,” Spinner said.
Spinner, who announced plans to retire after 12 years at UNFI in September, also said he hoped to name his successor early next year. Working with a succession committee of the UNFI board, he said it “has identified exemplary talent both inside and outside of UNFI.”
With the work of the Supervalu integration now largely behind it, Spinner said UNFI would launch a new round of productivity initiatives known as Value Path. Spinner described the initiative as a “holistic approach to driving more value throughout our business, including across key elements of pricing, procurement, operations and administrative functions.” He said he expects this would drive between $70 million and $100 million in savings by the end of fiscal 2023.
UNFI is also turning attention again to winning new business. The Key Food account, announced in October, will add an estimated $1 billion in new sales a year for 10 years. The 300 stores in that cooperative will be serviced from a new distribution facility now under construction in Allentown, Pa., which Spinner said could also service additional customers in metro New York.
UNFI President Chris Testa, speaking in the call, credited that customer win—from rival C&S Wholesale—to UNFI having demonstrated its ability to service customers during the pandemic.
Investment to build the Allentown facility will increase the company’s capital expenditure budget in the fiscal year by about $50 million to a range now expected between $250 million and $300 million. It will also cut into the rate at which UNFI had planned to reduce debts by about the same amount.
“The capital we are investing in our Allentown facility will improve our competitive position in the Northeast, allow us to further build market share in Metro New York and position us for further growth beyond the incremental Key Food revenue of $1 billion per year. And while it will reduce our net debt reduction outlook for this fiscal year, we believe it will lead to higher levels of free cash flow in the future,” Chief Financial Officer John Howard said.


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Allen & Overy is advising Spanish bottling company Coca-Cola Iberian Partners on its merger with the US company Coca-Cola Enterprises and the German company Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Corporation.
The merger will result in the formation of a new UK company Coca-Cola European Partners.
The transaction will create the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler (based on net revenues), serving a population of over 300 million in 13 territories across western Europe.
Coca-Cola European Partners Plc will be incorporated in the UK, one of its largest markets, with headquarters in London. It will be publicly traded on the Amsterdam Euronext, the New York Stock Exchange and the Madrid Stock Exchange.
Coca-Cola Iberian Partners will become the single largest shareowner in Coca-Cola European Partners, and will bring 60 years of experience operating in Spain, Portugal and Iceland.
Allen & Overy partner Ed Barnett who, together with New York partner Eric Shube, is leading the firm’s global team said: “This was an extremely complex cross-border transaction involving three very established entities with strong brand equity coming together to create a new company that will deliver significant synergies and drive profitable growth.”
The proposed merger is subject to approval by Coca-Cola Enterprises’ shareowners and receipt of regulatory clearances. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016.
Clifford Chance advised The Coca-Cola Corporation on the German law aspects of the merger.
Meanwhile, according to Mergermarket, Uría Menéndez was retained by Coca-Cola Iberian Partners as an adviser on the merger, while Coca-Cola Refreshments USA was advised by Pérez-Llorca, Slaughter and May, and Hengeler Mueller.


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Let’s face it, the High End Desktop (HEDT) segment hasn’t had any big announcements for almost two years. Intel’s last HEDT products were released back in 2019, while AMD’s Threadripper 5000 series has so far been restricted to the professional market.
Now is Intel secretly prepping a new Alder Lake HEDT series? Our friends at Tom’s Hardware seem to indicate that’s the case, for the release notes for AIDA64 6.60 lists preliminary support for a CPU series going by the name of Alder Lake-X.
For some time, Intel has referred to its HEDT processors by adding an X suffix. The X moniker has been used by Intel for all of its high end desktop platforms up to the most recent Cascade Lake-X series, topped by the Core i9 10980XE. So will Alder Lake-X be a zonked-up desktop version of Sapphire Rapids, include higher TDPs, overclocking support, quad channel DDR5 and a whole bunch of PCIe 5.0 lanes?
HEDT platforms may have kind of fallen by the wayside in recent years, thanks to increasing cores in mainstream flagship CPU models. But HEDT platforms are also an essential mainstay for serious gamers, being thanks to their high PCIe lane count and massive feature list.


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Magna raises concerns about protectionist trade measures
CEO Don Walker says any border adjustment tax would be negative for the industry.
Feds out of touch on auto strategy
A national strategy is necessary to raise Canada’s profile as an automotive manufacturing superstar.
Q&A with Don Walker: Magna CEO heads CAPC and the drive for auto investment
While there’s been some good work to ensure auto investment grows, the government must do more to ensure the industry thrives.
Powerhouse VC fund gets $25M provincial gov. cash injection
Scale Up Ventures will connect high growth start-ups with corporate Canada to accelerate innovation.
Magna chief seeks further improvements in European operations
Canadian autoparts manufacturer expects to close and consolidate some of its facilities in Europe.


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Dubai took first place in the MENA, and ranked 18th globally, in The Economist Impact think tank’s Digital Cities Index, 2022, which tracks the level of digitization in the world’s cities through four main pillars: digital communication, digital services, digital culture, and sustainability.
It garnered a balance score of 63.8 on the general index, placing it first in the region and 18th globally.
It also ranked second globally in ‘Digital Skills,’ one of the sub-indicators in the Economist Impact think tank’s Digital Cities Index, 2022.
Furthermore, the emirate ranked second globally in another sub-index within the general index, “trust in government digital platforms,” where 79 percent of ordinary people in Dubai expressed confidence in government digital platforms and expressed willingness to provide them with personal and financial data. Meanwhile, New Delhi ranked first globally, with 80 percent of its citizens expressing trust in government digital platforms.
In addition, Dubai received full marks for providing digital-supported traffic services with Internet of Things (IoT) applications, ranking first regionally and ninth globally in the Digital Finance index, one of the sub-indicators within the overall index.
Dubai outperformed Madrid, Tokyo, Rome, Auckland, and Kuala Lumpur in the general index, as well as New Delhi, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montreal, Geneva, and Frankfurt.
Recently, Dubai ranked first in the region and 14th globally in the luxury lifestyle index, outperforming high-end cities like Bangkok and Barcelona.
According to the report, hotel apartment prices increased by 195 percent year on year, followed by residential property prices increasing by 44 percent, while technical packages increased by 41 percent.


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From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
JOBS, JOBS, JOBS The May employment report was, by any stretch, a disappointment. Non-farm payrolls grew by 75,000 ー a far cry from the estimate of 175,000 jobs added for the month. The unemployment rate stayed at 3.6 percent, though average wages grew by just 6 cents compared to April. The employment news followed a shockingly dismal private payroll report from ADP earlier in the week, which found just 27,000 jobs were added in the private sector. The employment data joins other recent disappointing data points, from factory output to existing-home sales, which point to a gathering concern that a slowdown is accelerating. For that reason, stocks actually jumped following the jobs report as investors bet the Fed is now more likely to cut interest rates this summer ー something Fed Chair Jerome Powell alluded to this week. See more.
BARNES & NOBLE GOES PRIVATE The nation's largest brick-and-mortar bookseller is packing it in as a publicly traded company. Barnes & Noble ($BKS) was bought by the hedge fund Elliott Management for $683 million, including debt. That represents about a 43 percent premium from where the shares opened Thursday before reports came out that the deal was in the works. Barnes & Noble has struggled for years trying to compete with Amazon and even discount booksellers like Walmart. The company lost more than $1 billion in market cap over the last five years.
APPLE'S ANNOUNCEMENTS As expected, Apple ($AAPL) used its annual developer conference to announce it is officially killing off iTunes ー arguably one the most influential software programs in history ー in favor of separate apps for music, video, and podcasts. Apple also revealed new privacy upgrades to iOS, a new operating system specifically for the iPad, an App Store specifically for the Apple Watch, and a new high-end, $6,000 Mac Pro desktop computer, which many immediately panned on social media for resembling a giant cheese grater. Apple shares have been under pressure over the trade war with China, but got some relief when CEO Tim Cook told CBS News he wasn't worried about China potentially singling out the company for retaliation. See more.
BEYOND MEAT EARNINGS Shares of Beyond Meat ($BYND) touched a new high in the wake of the plant-based-meat maker's first earnings report as a public company. Revenues doubled this year as the alternative-meat trend took on mainstream notice, with the company's flagship Beyond Burger now being sold in grocery stores and restaurant chains around the country. Of all the IPOs so far in 2019, Beyond Meat stands out: the stock is up more than 400 percent since it went public a month ago. See more.
AMAZON DRONES Amazon ($AMZN) has been promising delivery by drone for years. Now the company says the day is almost here when some customers will get their next Prime order by air. The Prime Air delivery drone will be deployed in “a matter of months,” Amazon announced at its re:MARS conference in Las Vegas, though it did not say where the first drones will be deployed. The goal for the hybrid aircraft ー which can take off and land vertically ー is to deliver small packages that weigh under five pounds to customers within 15 miles in under 30 minutes. Amazon says 75 to 90 percent of items purchased are under that weight limit.
ーby Carlo Versano


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We’ve seen a couple of contradicting iPhone 11 renders in the past few weeks, and they came from the same well-known leaker that produced similar illustrations in the past. The first alleged iPhone 11 design featured a square triple-lens camera arrangement on the back with an asymmetric lens placement. Then the second design showed a horizontal rear camera module featuring three lenses. Now a new report claims that one of these two proposed iPhone 11 designs is indeed moving to production, and thankfully it’s the better of the two.
According to Indian blog CompareRaja, which was first to cover one of the two rumored iPhone 11 prototypes, at least one iPhone 11 model will have a horizontal camera module on the back, as shown in these renders:
A single unnamed source was able to confirm this prototype will be manufactured this year, so this certainly isn’t the most solid report. The blog also notes that it’s not clear which iPhone 11 version will rock this design, but guessed that it might be the main iPhone 11 that will be the direct successor of the iPhone XS. Previous reports have said that only the iPhone 11 Max will have a triple-lens camera on the back this year, so details are still a bit foggy.
The blog also said that the iPhone 11 will feature a 4,000 mAh battery as well as a USB-C connector instead of Lightning. Furthermore, the device should have a 5.8-inch display and measure 5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches just like the iPhone XS. The screen-to-body ratio will apparently be increased slightly thanks to thinner bezels and a smaller notch.
When it comes to colors, the phone should launch with up to four options including silver, gold, space gray and blue. That last color option seems very unlikely, however. The new iPhone will also supposedly feature IP68 water and dust certification. Finally, the iPhone 11 won’t have 5G modems in it, with the first 5G iPhone still expected to launch in 2020. Considering 5G networks won’t offer decent coverage for quite some time, that shouldn’t really be a big deal.
The iPhone 11 series phones are expected to be released in September, which gives Apple plenty of time to finalize the designs for this year’s new iPhones. That means we’ll see plenty of leaks in the coming months as Apple moves closer to mass production.


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Aug 8, 2019Marrone Bio acquires seed treatment firm Pro Farm Technologies
Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. (NASDAQ: MBII), sustainable bioprotection and plant health solutions company, announced Aug. 8 that it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Pro Farm Technologies OY, which will increase Marrone Bio’s market share and global platform in the $4.6 billion seed- and soil-treatment market.
With the acquisition of Pro Farm, Marrone Bio will add proprietary nutrient and biostimulant technology and products for seed and foliar treatments to its portfolio. This transaction also will give the company a significant opportunity to leverage an expanded global distribution network for all of MBI’s products. Marrone Bio expects to benefit from partial-year sales in 2019 as a result of the transaction. With historical gross margins significantly higher than Marrone Bio’s current product portfolio average, the Pro Farm acquisition is expected to be accretive to net income and cash flow from operations in 2020.
“This acquisition is an example of the kind of transformative investments that we seek to grow Marrone Bio from a product, crop and geographic perspective, and to do so in a way that can immediately accelerate our revenue growth and margin expansion,” said Marrone Bio Chairman of the Board Bob Woods. “We believe acquisitions like Pro Farm will allow us to cost-effectively expand our global scale, and significantly escalate our growth trajectory.”
Marrone Bio Chief Executive Officer Pam Marrone added, “Today’s announcement is a critical step in our strategic objective to build a platform company that leverages our scientific, manufacturing and commercial expertise through new agricultural solutions. We believe we have the technology, talent and financial support to achieve our goal of creating a biological ag inputs company of major scope and scale.”
The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2019, subject to satisfaction of customary conditions. Pro Farm is being acquired for an agreed enterprise value of $31.8 million, including a combination of $6.2 million cash and 12.7 million shares of Marrone Bio stock to be paid to Pro Farm’s equity holders, debt holders and advisors upon the closing of the transaction, as well as the opportunity for potential payment of a total of up to $7.5 million of additional shares of stock deliverable from 2021 through 2024 based on the achievement of agreed commercial milestones.
Marrone Bio announced separately that it has established a $36.6 million financing facility through a right to call the exercise of certain existing warrants. Any resulting cash raised is anticipated to be sufficient to fund the current operating plan to a break-even level, as well as fund near-term strategic alternatives such as the Pro Farm acquisition.
Pro Farm, based in Finland, expands Marrone Bio’s international presence with a portfolio of products with a new mode of action to stimulate plant growth and improve plant health, resulting in improved yields and crop quality.
The Pro Farm manufacturing process begins with lignin – the key structural material found in wood and bark. The lignin is extracted as a byproduct from the pulp and paper industry, which Pro Farm converts into a purified derivative called lignosulfonate. The lignosulfonate is then combined in proprietary and patent-protected formulations that are highly concentrated and bio-available. The resulting plant stimulants encourage earlier plant establishment, more robust plant emergence, and overall improved plant health.
Pro Farm’s technology is used in seed and foliar treatments in the major row and specialty crops of corn, cereals, sunflowers, oilseed rape (canola), sugar beets and vegetables, with other crops in development. It has distribution agreements servicing most of the major global agricultural production areas, with particular strength in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and expansion under way in Latin America, North America, Africa and Asia.
Marrone Bio intends to retain Pro Farm’s key employees, and Pro Farm’s partial ownership of its manufacturing facility will transfer with the acquisition.


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AHDB has announced the return of its We Eat Balanced campaign on meat and dairy products after complaints about animal welfare and pro-vegan groups were dismissed by the UK’s advertising watchdog .
Relaunched yesterday (September 6), the Levy Board said its marketing campaign would once again emphasize that beef, pork, lamb and milk contain vitamin B12 – a nutrient it says doesn’t was “not naturally present in a vegan diet”.
The push would also highlight the sustainability and standards of UK meat and dairy products, AHDB said.
These messages would be displayed on supermarket shelves and aisle flaps, through online ads with MailOnline and full-page ads in the Guardian, as well as through social media.
Online and social content would include short videos of farmers “telling the story of British farming,” the AHDB added.
AHDB’s advertising victory is a big win for UK meat and dairy
âAfter a successful pilot project earlier this year, I am delighted that our We Eat Balanced [has returned] to further reassure consumers about the food choices they appreciate as part of a healthy and balanced diet, âsaid Paul Flanagan, director of dairy strategy at AHDB.
He urged supporters to “spread the message on social media where you can”.
Revealing an independent analysis of the results of its initial Â£ 1.5million campaign, which ran over seven weeks in January and February 2021, the AHDB said its marketing activity was broadcast 80 million times on social networks, reaching 10 million consumers.
It has also been seen by six million people in the press and has been viewed 2.5 million times on VOD services.
It comes weeks after the Advertising Standards Authority dismissed 487 complaints about the previous iteration of AHDB’s campaign, which saw objections from organizations such as Compassion in World Farming UK and pro-vegan groups, including the Humane League UK, The Vegan Society, Peta and Viva.
The plaintiffs accused the ads of being misleading in three ways, according to the ASA’s ruling.
What does the rapid growth of plants mean for dairy products?
They argued that the advertisements “implied” that meat and dairy products were a necessity for eating a healthy and balanced diet, consuming vitamin B12 and also that cattle used for meat in the UK were generally grazed at outdoors and had minimal environmental impact – things the complainants argued was not true.
However, the ASA referred to the use by the AHDB of qualifying statements to “promote a varied diet and clarify that the consumption of meat and dairy products is not required” because it ruled that complaints would not be upheld.
“We understood that meat and dairy products contained sufficient amounts of vitamin B12 and protein for nutrition and health claims included in advertisements to be permitted,” the ASA ruling said.
“Overall, we considered that the advertisements would be understood by consumers to mean that essential nutrients needed by humans could be obtained from meat and dairy products as part of a healthy and balanced diet.” , added the ASA. The campaign “did not give the misleading impression that meat and dairy products were necessary for a healthy and balanced diet,” he added.
At the time, Christine Watts, AHDB’s communications and market development manager, said it was an “important day” for UK agriculture “because we can continue to communicate the benefits. consumption of red meat and dairy products as part of a balanced diet “.


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Apple’s second-generation iPad tablet will be available in UK shops from 5pm on Friday
Apple retail stores across the UK are gearing up for the launch of the iPad 2 this Friday, despite rumoured delays. The long-awaited device will go on sale at 5pm local time, and will also be available to order online from 1am.
Prices start at £399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model – £30 less than the launch price for the same model of the original iPad last year. Meanwhile, at the high end, the 64GB Wi-Fi and 3G model costs £659 – £40 less than the same model of the original iPad.
This is the first time that Apple has reduced the price of a product for a successive version, and may be an attempt to undercut some of its Android competitors, such as the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab. The company also slashed the price of its original iPad, ahead of the second generation tablet launch.
Thinner, faster model
The 9.7-inch iPad 2 includes a built-in gyroscope and front- and rear-facing cameras. It has a dual-core A5 processor and is 33 percent thinner than the previous model, weighing in at 1.3 pounds. Customers can choose between a black or white model.
The device will go on sale in an additional 24 countries tomorrow, including Australia, Canada and much of Europe.
“While competitors are still struggling to catch up with our first iPad, we’ve changed the game again with iPad 2”, said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, in a statement. “We’re experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the US, and customers around the world have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on it.”
The news comes despite reports of stock selling out, and rumours of component shortages due to the Japanese quake and tsunami. Jobs thanked customers for their patience and said that Apple was working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.
Analysts estimate that Apple sold as many as 500,000 iPad 2 devices on its first day of sales in the US on 11 March – 200,000 more than the first iPad sold in its first weekend of sales last April. “Strong demand in stores and online suggests that our estimate of 5.5 million iPads in the March quarter is likely conservative,” said Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.
Retailers are expecting queues outside Apple stores throughout the day tomorrow. Last year, some particularly eager customers camped outside shops overnight, in order to get their hands on one of the first iPads to be sold in the country.


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Foreign firms like Facebook and Google dominate the digital ad market in Vietnam but pay no taxes, a minister says.
Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said this has to change.
While foreign companies like Google and Facebook account for 70 percent of Vietnam digital ad revenues, they neither pay taxes nor comply with Vietnamese laws, Hung noted at a forum Thursday on developing Vietnam technology companies.
"Vietnam has its own sovereignty, laws and forces, and we cannot allow this situation to continue. We must strive to have every foreign business comply with our laws," he said.
Last year, Facebook and Google accounted for 66.7 percent of Vietnam’s ad revenue, which was $550 million, according to market research firm ANTS.
The market share of these two global giants will rise to 69 percent this year, while thousands of Vietnamese advertising agencies account for just 28 percent.
Both Facebook and Google do not have a representative office in Vietnam. The country’s cybersecurity law, which took effect at the beginning of this year, requires foreign businesses to open representative offices in Vietnam and store their Vietnamese users' data in Vietnamese territory.
Minister Hung has previously proposed that new policies are issued to facilitate the creation and growth of homegrown social networks, aiming to garner at least 60 million accounts and 60-70 percent of the social network market’s pie in Vietnam by 2022.
But for now, Facebook remains the most popular social network in the country. The number of Facebook users in Vietnam is the seventh highest in the world with over 58 million people last year, an increase of 16 percent from 2017, according to marketing agency We Are Social.


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Online retail giant Amazon on Thursday launched six new gadgets that will surely be a huge hit to all cheapskates. From tablets to a 4K television, everything is priced under US$150.
Amazon's bid to go down low when it comes to product costs is happening once again as the company announced its new batch of budget-friendly hardware products. They are called Echo Buttons, Echo Plus and cloth-covered Echo, Echo Connect, Echo Spot and Fire TV.
The Echo Buttons cost US$20 a pair. Available in blue and red colours, the buzzers can be connected to Amazon Echo and serve as inputs for Alexa-powered games.
The Echo Plus costs US$150, while the cloth-wrapped Echo costs US$90. The new Echo is an upgrade to the original Echo. It sports a dedicated woofer, tweeter and Dolby sound. Echo Plus acts as a smart home hub powered by more than 100 partners. It also comes with a Philips Hue bulb.
The Echo Connect landline is priced at US$35. It is likely capable of making VoIP (voice-over internet protocol) calls by connecting it to the Echo.
The Echo Spot alarm clock drops at US$130. This smart clock is able to do video calls as it houses a camera.
The Fire TV costs US$70. It is unbelievably capable of streaming 4K resolution up to 60 frames per second. It comes with a remote with Alexa voice control support which can also be used to control other devices connected to an Echo device.


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Tag Archives: Eilrahc Issatoshi
- Amazon customer wants Jeff Bezos to accept Bitcoin as payment
June 26, 2017
An Amazon customer has lodged a petition appealing to CEO Jeff Bezos to accept digital currencies like Bitcoin as a mode of payment. The petition, lodged through Change.org, stated that digital conglomerate Amazon would increase its customers' value of life if the site allows its users to use cryptocurrencies to...
New Japan law recognizes bitcoin as method of payment
March 31, 2017


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Facebook to sell your photos social media giant claims itFacebook to sell your photos social media giant claims it Facebook sell photos social media giant claims , a popular photo sharing website owned facebook told users owns rights pictures instagram give warning payment. Facebook newsroom, february 4 2018 friends day show gratitude closest friends today february 4 friends day day hope people time put. Criticism facebook wikipedia, this article possibly original research improve verifying claims adding inline citations statements consisting original. Technology science news abc news, get latest science news technology news read tech reviews abc news. Company info facebook newsroom, our mission founded 2004 facebook mission give people power build munity bring world closer people facebook stay.
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The turn-based strategy role-playing game series, Tears to Tiara, is planned for its first North American and European release for its newest installment. Developed by Japan’s Aquaplus, Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord is marked for an exclusive Playstation 3 release Oct. 14 and Nov. 11 of this year for North America and Europe, respectively.
The game is published by the Sega subsidiary Atlus in North America, and NIS America for its Europe release. The original Japanese audio will remain in the non-Japanese releases, but localized subtitles will be provided.
Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord will not require players to have any prior experience with the previous entry or its side-story release to follow it, according to a press release. The game is centered around an indentured servant under a crippling regime. After seeing atrocity committed against a helpless innocent, the servant releases restraint of his demonic powers, under the counsel of a goddess, to overthrow the cruel empire and free the people held in slavery under it. He must do all this while controlling the demon inside that grants him power. Without proper control, he can destroy all of which he wishes to save.
The upcoming sequel contains more than 80 hours of strategy gameplay and an enriched story in the style of a visual novel. The series also has a three-volume manga series: Tears to Tiara: Garland of the Earth. It also has an anime show that will be available with an English dub on DVD and Blu-ray in North America Oct. 19, five days after the region’s PS3 game release.
Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord features more than 15 diverse main characters, all striving united towards the goal of liberation. Several allies, such as giant creatures and gods, assist players in battle. The game mechanics of joint attacks, consecutive strikes, and boost magic, create a new layer of gameplay to spice up combat. According to the release, the gameplay will challenge even the most experienced SRPG enthusiasts.
In addition to the announcement, an opening movie for the upcoming game has been released, and can be found below. The official website for the game can be viewed here. The North American release is priced at $39.99, while the European pricing has yet to be set.


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Sprint IoT: From 'Buzzword' To Money-Making Managed Service
‘IoT is a popular buzzword, but people are really struggling to make it happen,’ Sprint Business execs tell CRN.
Sprint wants to help the channel monetize IoT, something that has been a struggle for many solution providers up until now.
"When you go into a room, ask people to raise their hand if they've made money on IoT, many times, no one's hands are going up. IoT is a popular buzzword, but people are really struggling to make it happen," Ryan Yahrmatter, head of channel sales, IoT and cloud, for Sprint Business, told CRN.
The wireless carrier today is offering Sprint IoT in a Box, a simplistic service that is resonating with MSPs, Yahrmatter said. "It's a complete managed service that comes right out of the box that [partners] can start earning money on in 30 days," he said. "There's no hardware or software costs."
MSPs can white-label Sprint's IoT in a Box offering to maintain their customer relationship -- a feature that many carriers haven't allowed partners to do, Yahrmatter said. Or, partners can also choose to sell a Sprint-branded version. "We're trying to make it very simple," he said. "If you want to sell our network or our products and services, that can be your brand."
The initial Sprint In A Box offering is Refrigeration Monitoring, a solution that lets businesses meet regulatory compliance standards and protect their investments, such as food in a restaurant kitchen. To help the channel sell IoT, Sprint has categorized solutions into three "buckets" -- crawl, walk, run, said Derrick Meer, head of channel sales for Sprint Business.
"For IoT In A Box, partners don't need any special skills so they can get in and start creating a recurring revenue stream for themselves very quickly and they can brand it under their brand," Meer said. "We want to help partners get started right away and making money."
The Goldie Group is a Framingham, Mass.-based MSP and Sprint partner that specializes in IoT solutions for healthcare, hospitality, and education customers. The firm got its start with IoT offering a sensor-based solution for hospitals after Ken Goldie, president and chief operations officer for The Goldie Group, noticed that nurses and healthcare workers were being bogged down with "mundane" tasks after spending time in the hospital after the birth of his child.
"I realized there were certain things happening in the hospital that would require a nurse or another medical professional to leave to go do things like take temperature readings of refrigerators or food prep areas," Goldie said. "There's ways to improve the quality of patient care and drive costs down."
The Goldie Group started with Sprint's temperature and humidity sensor solution for the hospital. "It's cost-effective, a lot more reliable, and gives visibility to a lot more people," he said. From there, the firm started to look at other issues that the hospital had to address those with IoT. "It just scaled from there," Goldie added.
While working directly with end customers, the Goldie Group is also working with solution providers to help them understand and harness IoT opportunities. IoT gives partners the opportunity to replicate a use case to solve a popular pain point for multiple customers and even new help new clients that they perhaps wouldn't have otherwise been able to reach, Goldie said.
"IoT is a natural progression of a value-added service that partners can embed into their offerings," he said.
The "walk" stage of IoT involves GPS solutions, such as fleet management and some smart building solutions. While many partners haven't entered the "run" stage yet, this stage includes deeper, custom integrations that can take 12-24 months to develop, Meer said.
Beyond the Refrigeration Monitoring solution, partners have access to Sprint's other In A Box offerings, including Leak detection, a sensor-based offering that can help businesses identify leaks immediately and save money on water damage incidents, the Door Barricade Alert System, a smart solution that lets teachers and administrators lock down doors to an office or classroom while immediately alerting authorities that a lockdown is in place, or Feedback Buttons, a solution for the hospitality and retail segment that let businesses gather customer feedback and act quickly to keep customer satisfaction high.
In their third attempt at coming together, Sprint and T-Mobile finally received regulatory clearance to merge in a $26.5 billion deal at the end of July. Sprint's channel partner program will remain "business as usual," Meer and Yahrmatter told CRN.


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This Morning expert reveals how to stop smart devices spying on you and your family at home
10 March 2020, 13:03 | Updated: 10 March 2020, 13:47
Alice Beer appeared on This Morning today to explain to viewers how they can use their smart devices safely.
While gadgets such as smart speakers and baby monitors can make our lives a lot easier, there has been growing concern over criminals spying on families.
Speaking on the show, Alice said that everyone needs to enable all the layers of security in their gadgets to ensure they are harder to get into.
She started by encouraging viewers to use different passwords for everything, as well as setting up ‘Two factor authentication’ which means a code gets sent to their phone every time someone is trying to access their accounts.
When it comes to smart TVs and laptops, Alice then told Phil and Holly that they should update software regularly to ensure they are as secure as possible.
If you're worried about strangers spying on you, cameras on these devices can be covered up with a sticky note, or specially designed black stickers which can be bought on Amazon.
Alice then moved on to baby monitors, insisting that all new parents should look into the company they are buying from beforehand to see what the reviews are like.
Consumer company Which? often test how secure products are by looking at whether they have had security breaches in the past, so this is important to take into consideration.
She also advised turning off all smart devices if they are not in use.
Talk then turned to smart speaks such as Amazon Alexas and Google Homes, to which Phillip, 57, said: “Mine is turned off at the wall when I don’t use it - the minute I have finished listening to music, I will turn it off at the wall.”
Alice went on to explain that smart speakers are “listening to you all the time” - but only record when you wake it up.
To stop this information from being passed on, you can go into your settings to manage your data and delete previous recordings.


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Two longtime rivals in the credit card business are working together to create a private group that would set new industrywide security standards as early as the middle of this year, a MasterCard executive said on Wednesday.
Security officials from Visa USA and MasterCard International began quietly meeting early last year to discuss the best way to improve data security. But the high-profile disclosure of a security breach at CardSystems Solutions, a tiny payment processor that left 40 million cardholder accounts exposed to fraud, has given the effort a new push.
Visa and MasterCard executives have separately proposed the idea of an independent standard-setting body that could certify that member banks and merchants met certain guidelines and standards.
"We have had preliminary conversations, and it would be a good idea to have these PCI standards in an open standards body," said Chris Thom, MasterCard's chief risk officer, referring to the payment card industry rules.
"There is no reason that this shouldn't be done," he said.
At a Visa-sponsored conference in October, the company's chief executive, John Philip Coghlan, publicly floated a similar idea.
"We're exploring a plan to encourage all stakeholders in the payment chain to help create an objective, stand-alone entity to manage data security issues for the entire industry," he said.
At the time, MasterCard acknowledged it had had discussions with Visa about that type of approach but maintained it believed that the current standards were effective.
Still, the extent of the proposed agency's enforcement power, if any, is unclear, as is the potential makeup of the group's representatives.
And it is also too early to determine how the new security standards would differ from the payment card industry's existing ones, which outline a common set of rules with slight differences among the card companies.
Although Discover Financial and American Express do not appear to be participating in the discussions, Visa and MasterCard, whose cardholders are responsible for roughly 80 percent of all credit and debit transactions, may have the power to bring a new standard-setting body into being.
In the wake of the CardSystems data breach, Visa and MasterCard executives acknowledged that existing security standards were not always being followed. Even today, Visa said, only 15 percent of the 215 biggest retailers that accept its cards can certify they fully meet the payment card industry's current standards.
Data security specialists say fewer than 1 percent of the US' roughly 5 million merchants have even submitted a security plan.
In response, each of the major card companies has introduced a raft of new proposals, often with more public relations bark than actual bite.
Thom of MasterCard said that Visa and MasterCard executives have been working to revise the current rules to "build more flexibility into the standards without undermining" them.
He said the proposed changes could be introduced sometime in the first quarter, and the new open standards body might be unveiled sometime in the quarter after that.
Rosetta Jones, a Visa spokeswoman, however, said that the card company was still exploring the concept. Judy Tenzer, an American Express spokeswoman, said that they were not working on any independent standards apart from the existing ones.


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Environment Secretary backs ban on microbeads
Following President Obama's support to ban highly polluting microbeads from various cosmetics such as face scrubs, shower gels and toothpastes in the United States, Andrea Leadsom, UK Environment Secretary, has agreed to move forward on a ban in the UK.
In the next few weeks ministers will also discuss if the beads should be banned from other consumer products including sun screen and cleaning products.
Microbeads are tiny plastic beads made from polyethylene, the same material used to make plastic bags. It is a robust and resilient material which does not break down after it is flushed into our rivers and seas. The UK flushes 86 tons of them on average per day.
Louise Edge, Senior Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace UK said: 'There they can cause serious harm to marine life by being eaten and leaching out toxic chemicals. They can even travel up the food chain and end up on our plate'.
The beads, which can't always be seen with human eyes, are taken in by fish, sea birds and other marine life. They do not break down, but instead build up in the animals resulting in poisoning and eventually death.
Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons have already announced they will be removing the beads from there own products and Waitrose has said it will not continue to sell any product that contain the beads after this month.
The UK government is looking to have the beads banned within months - campaigners


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M&C Saatchi UK's revenues rise 13% to £75.4m
M&C Saatchi's headline profit before tax increased by 10% year on year to £17.2m in 2012, as UK revenue rose by 13%, boosted by strong growth at DM agency Lida, the company's mobile division and new business.
According to M&C Saatchi’s final results for the year ended 31 December 2012, the company generated revenue of £169.5m in 2012, up 11% year on year.
M&C Saatchi said revenue in the UK was £75.4m in 2012, up 13% from £67.0m in 2011, after the company’s CRM and mobile businesses performed strongly and the group had a "strong run of wins".
New advertising clients included Ballantine’s, Peroni, Intercontinental Hotels, Viking and Virgin Holidays, while M&C Saatchi’s media planning and buying arm Walker Media picked up Center Parcs and Harveys.
David Kershaw, the chief executive of M&C Saatchi, praised the UK team under the chief executive, Lisa Thomas, and the chairman, Tim Duffy, for delivering 13% revenue growth in an ad market that was up between 2% and 3%.
Kershaw said: "We did particularly well in CRM, that’s where Lida has been a star company. Mobile continues to do very well. We also had good news business wins including Etihad [Airways], Ballantine’s and Virgin Holidays."
Although headline profit before tax increased by 10%, the group’s statutory profit before tax was £9.9m, down 38.4% after making accounting charges related to the minority businesses it owns and the rising cost of M&C Saatchi shares.
M&C Saatchi said in the UK the group’s headline operating margin increased to 20.2% in 2012, up from 19.5% a year earlier, and headline operating profit increased by 17% year on year.
M&C Saatchi made its third stab at the US market in 2012 and Kershaw said the group had invested £750,000 on staff and leadership and the shop has already picked up "some projects" and made lots of presentations to intermediaries.
Kershaw said: "We will look for [the US office] to break even towards the end of the year." Looking forward, Kershaw said he expects M&C Saatchi to continue to outperform other marketing and communications groups in 2013.
Because [we] have new younger companies and still have markets in adolescence our benchmark that we want to out grow two times as fast as the market. If they are seeing 2 to 3% revenue growth, we’re looking at 7%."
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
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Last week, the federal government slapped a 30 percent tariff on imported solar panels, based on the finding that the Chinese are manipulating the market to promote their own solar industry, with the effect of reducing solar panel production within the United States. Most of the U.S. solar industry, the purported beneficiary or the tariff, was opposed, because with the cost of the panels falling so low they only account for one-third of total solar costs, the production of ancillary equipment and solar system installation is booming here.
“The Solar Energy Industries Association has projected tens of thousands of job losses in a sector that employed 260,000. The tariffs are just the latest action Trump has taken that undermine the economics of renewable energy.”
“It boggles my mind that this president — any president, really — would voluntarily choose to damage one of the fastest-growing segments of our economy,” said Tony Clifford, chief development officer for Standard Solar in Rockville, Maryland. “This decision is misguided and denies the reality that bankrupt foreign companies will be the beneficiaries of an American taxpayer bailout.”
This tariff, which also included imported washing machines, was the first by “tough trader” Trump. But if manipulating the market and American jobs are the issue, rather than tribalism and trying to harm some Americans to the enjoyment of others, what about imported oil and OPEC? Manipulating the market to gain market share at high prices is its very mission.


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Consumers often compensate for fuel-efficient car by buying bigger second vehicle
Like ordering a diet soda with a side of fries, households who buy a fuel-efficient vehicle tend to buy a bigger, more powerful second car to compensate. This tendency, combined with the changes in driving behavior that result, may reduce up to 60 percent of the expected future gas savings from increased fuel economy in two-car households. That is according to a recent white paper from the University of California, Davis, MIT and Yale.
The paper estimated how the fuel economy of a newly added vehicle depends on the fuel economy of the vehicle already owned by the household. The results have implications for policies that improve the fuel economy of light-duty vehicles, such as fuel economy standards.
"A central objective of my research as an environmental economist is to identify ways to fight global climate change," said author David Rapson, an associate professor in the Department of Economics and Co-Director of the Davis Energy Economics Program (DEEP) at UC Davis. "Unintended consequences like this need to be taken into account when making policy. On average, fuel economy standards are putting more fuel-efficient cars in households. That can be good if it reduces gasoline use. But if it causes people to buy a bigger, less fuel-efficient second car to compensate, this unintended effect will erode the intended goals of the policy."
For example, consumers may prefer to have one SUV and one sedan, or one powerful vehicle and one fuel-efficient vehicle. This is likely driven by practical considerations. A couple or family may drive a "gas sipper" for most of their day-to-day tasks, but also own a bigger "gas guzzler" for going to the dog park, camping, road trips, ski trips, the hardware store and other places where more space and power may be useful.
The study shows that, for the typical California two-car household, the net savings from increasing fuel economy of one car falls from an estimated 68 gallons per year to 24-27 gallons.
"We don't suggest getting rid of fuel economy standards and doing nothing else," Rapson said. "But our conservation policies need to be effective. A more promising solution is to put a price on carbon, such as what California is doing with cap and trade. It produces economic incentives that evidence shows will reduce carbon emissions."
More information: Attribute Substitution in Household Vehicle Portfolios: deep.ucdavis.edu/uploads/5/6/8 … 77229/deep_wp018.pdf


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After releasing a line of new outdoor lights earlier this year, Philips Hue has returned with some new lights better suited for indoor use including an updated Lightstrip Plus and Hue Bloom lamp, along with a new 1600 lumen bulb which is now the brightest smart light out of Hue’s entire portfolio.
Following the launch of the Hue’s Bluetooth-enabled smart lights last year, the updated $80 Lightstrip Plus is now following suit giving users the option to connect their lightstrip to their standard Hue bridge, or opt for a more streamlined Bluetooth-only setup. But perhaps more importantly, Philips Hue will now let you reuse pieces trimmed off of the lightstrip (which can be cut to fit your needs), which should offer a bit of extra value, especially when it comes to the less expensive $25 one-meter extension strips.
As for the updated $70 Hue Bloom, Hue says it has been enhanced with richer colors and a significantly brighter 500-lumen output (up from just 120 lumens on the previous model), which means the Bloom can now be more of an all-purpose table lamp instead of just being used to throw around some accent lighting. And like the Lightstrip Plus, the Hue Bloom is also getting built-in Bluetooth connectivity, which means you can skip buying a Hue Bridge in setups with 10 or fewer total Hue lights.
However, if you want a truly bright smart light, Hue’s new White A21 bulb is the one you want. At 1600 lumens, the Hue A21 bulb is twice as bright as a standard Hue E26 bulb, which makes it good for places like a workshop or garage where you want extra visibility. Unfortunately, while the new A21 does support dimming, unlike Hue’s White Ambiance bulbs, it doesn’t seem to support any other color temps, so pure white is all you get. That said, priced at $20, the Hue White A21 bulb does costs $5 less than a standard Hue White Ambiance bulb, though it would be nice if there was a bulb that was both super bright and had adjustable color temps.
Both the White A21 bulb and the new Hue Bloom are slated to go on sale in late July, while the new Lightstrip Plus will go on sale this week at Target ahead of wider retail availability later this summer.


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Nokia Lumia 521 to Reach T-Mobile Stores in May
Apr 9, 2013, 11:12 AM by Eric M. Zeman
T-Mobile USA today announced that the Nokia Lumia 521 will be available at Walmart, Microsoft Retail Stores, and T-Mobile stores in May. Exact pricing and availability will be shared close to launch.
We spent a few moments handling Nokia's new Lumia 520, which will come to the U.S. as the Lumia 521 for T-Mobile USA.
Nokia churns out another capable Windows Phone with the Lumia 521 for T-Mobile. See if this budget smartphone is the right pick for you in Phone Scoop's in-depth review.
Feb 25, 2013
Nokia today announced two new Lumia Windows Phones, the Lumia 720 and Lumia 520. The Lumia 520 is Nokia's most affordable Windows Phone.
Nov 27, 2013
Nokia today revealed the Lumia 525, an update to the 520/521 that increases system memory from 512MB to 1GB. The upgrade will let the device run more apps at a time.
Apr 25, 2013
T-Mobile USA today announced that the Nokia Lumia 521 smartphone will be featured on the Home Shopping Network television channel beginning April 27. The device can be purchased from HSN, HSN.com, or HSN Mobile directly for $149.95, which includes a car charger and screen protector.
Guess what Ladies and Gentlemen.............
This is meant to be a super basic windows phone, not meant for power users or people who need LTE. If you want that, wait for a newer Lumia.


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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Rhode Island commission has given preliminary approval to the sale of downtown Providence property where a 46-story skyscraper is planned.
The I-195 Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved the terms of New York developer Jason Fane’s deal on Wednesday. Fane plans to buy the waterfront site for about $3.1 million and build the proposed Hope Point Tower, which would include condominiums, apartments and retail space.
Fane says investment in the project would be around $250 million.
The developer has scaled back original plans of building three towers in the space previously occupied by the interstate.
Fane’s legal counsel says they will next petition for a zoning change so his project can be taken up by the City Council. If approved, the building would be the tallest in the city.
This version corrects the name of the panel that approved the property sale to the I-195 Redevelopment Commission, not the 1-95 Redevelopment Commission.


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Alok Choudhary is Chief Scientist at Mediaocean, the mission-critical platform for omnichannel advertising.
In 2020, the digital walled gardens have more working in their favor than ever before. When you add Google's effective death knell to third-party cookies to the passage of CCPA's enforcement date, we see a dramatic acceleration of a trend that was already well underway: Closed ecosystems are garnering an insurmountable edge in the world of online advertising. Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, mega-players like Google, Facebook and Amazon have only widened their moats.
The advantages of closed ecosystems were indisputable well before the abolition of cookies, the go-live of new privacy laws and pandemic-driven consumer behavior shifts. That said, their advantage was built on technology that is rapidly becoming more democratized across the media landscape: artificial intelligence. As AI applications become more common and sophisticated among a diverse set of industry players, we're going to see the power within the media landscape continue to shift. Let's look at how AI's role in media is going to evolve in the coming years and ultimately give rise to tomorrow's cast of power players.
Yesterday: AI Brings Intelligence To Scale
Within the media landscape, closed ecosystems like Google, Facebook, Amazon and others have proved themselves to be leaders in developing and applying AI for the benefit of their business. They have, in many ways, proved to be the very best at it. That's not terribly surprising given the inherent benefits that these platforms have enjoyed since their early days.
The initial AI advantage of closed ecosystems came from their large bases of known users — in other words, quality data at scale. The insight that these platforms have been able to derive from the massive amount of interactions flowing through their platforms is precisely what is required to make AI smarter over time. When machine learning continually evolves, it can do amazing things. It's what has allowed today's tech titans to create giant ad businesses built on proprietary intelligence. Fed by an endless stream of new data, these platforms' algorithms became proficient at maximizing yield for their businesses.
The power of AI has driven the vast majority of consumer time and advertising dollars spent into the walls of these closed ecosystems. However, despite the well-understood audiences of these platforms, the true intelligence behind them remains locked within their walls, posing challenges for advertisers that increasingly need to understand their audiences across devices and platforms. This brings us to where today's AI enhancements are concentrated.
Today: AI Standardizes Understanding Across Environments
In today's media landscape, the power of AI has leaked out of the closed ecosystems and into the tools that help advertisers to connect user experiences across them. For brands, AI's current and most crucial application lies in extracting information from closed ecosystems, resolving and standardizing it and then using those insights to automate campaigns across those platforms.
Today, AI is revolutionizing media planning and measurement for brands and enabling true omnichannel advertising across the environments where consumers spend the most time. However, the advertising model itself is in flux as well, and AI is the force that will transform our traditional notion of how brands get in front of consumers.
This question of advertising efficiently across multiple channels is where you see the most intensive application and investment in AI today in the media industry.
Tomorrow: AI Redefines Monetization In Media
The next AI revolution in media — the one that will redefine the cast of market leaders for the future — will build on the unique consumer understanding enabled by AI in recent years and use that knowledge to upend the advertising paradigm. This next frontier will focus on applying deep learning to generate the creative combinations that work best for an advertiser's media plan — in both traditional ad-supported environments and increasingly popular (and currently ad-free) platforms.
In the coming years, AI will enable a new vision for dynamic product placement — something that goes vastly beyond the current "decision tree" dynamic creative model. The next wave of dynamic creative will be able to play within content itself, substituting products within storylines according to an intimate understanding of the individual viewer and the advertiser's target prospects. In other words, we're talking about a video landscape in which not everyone sees James Bond driving the same car or Kim Kardashian drinking the same beverage. Products and services will be integrated, rotated and targeted with precisely the same level of personalization with which in-stream ads are served today. This leap forward will effectively blur the lines between subscription-based video-on-demand environments and ad-supported environments, creating an entirely new power dynamic within the media world.
In every one of the examples offered here — past, present and future — unlocking the potential of AI requires quality data to inform targeting, creative and measurement. The core of every AI process is the intelligence that a brand brings to the AI-enabled platform. Tightening the flow of intelligence between systems of record and systems of engagement can ensure that brands are poised to make the most of available AI technology available.
The role of AI in the marketing and advertising world has always been, and will continue to be, completely transformative. Just as marketers 20 years ago couldn't have foreseen the granularity and precision with which they'd be able to target their ad spends today, we only have an inkling of what will be possible in the coming years, thanks to AI that continues to learn and evolve every day. The future belongs to the companies that don't allow today's reality to limit tomorrow's applications.


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Police are warning people about a scam involving iPads and they are releasing surveillance tape of the suspects who victimized two people.
Do you hate lines as much as I do? According to some estimates, an average American who lives to 70 wastes about three years waiting!
The money has to go a little further this year. Here are some of our favorite sites to visit for deals on Cyber Monday and throughout the holiday season.
Apple has rolled out the first bug fix update to iOS 6 since the software’s release in mid-September.
Surprise! Apple not only introduced a smaller iPad today — the iPad Mini — but also unveiled a fourth-generation iPad that looks the same as the iPad 3 (aka the “new iPad”). The difference? The fourth-generation model has upgraded components, including an A6X processor, which, according to Apple, doubles CPU and graphics performance.
The worst-kept secret in the world, the iPad mini, was officially unveiled by Apple Tuesday with a starting price of $329 for the base model and a screen that is not quite up to the standards of the iPad Mini’s competitors.
It looks like the iPhone 5 wasn’t Apple’s last big debut in 2012.
Apple Inc. has sent out invites for an event next Tuesday, where it’s expected to announce the release of a smaller iPad.
Apple CEO Tim Cook took the most drastic step yet to address the growing furor over the company’s beleaguered map application, saying he was “extremely sorry” for the frustration felt by customers and vowing to improve the program.
Apple, Inc has made billions of dollars off groundbreaking new products, but one of Apple’s newest products has prompted an apology from the company’s chief executive officer, Tim Cook.